Trying to kick me when I'm down
But you'll never get the best of me no more
Heartbroken an beaten
Knocked down and mistreated
I will rise undefeated
I will not let you bring me down
-Lyrics to 'Best Of Me' performed by Christina Aguilera
Crimson Bonds Part 26
"You and Mom... did... *that*?" Solo managed, a mortified look on his face and his enlarged, gold-ringed eyes blinking. Shaking his head, he sank further into the edge of his bed mattress, frowning deeply at his father sitting in the chair across from him, "That's pretty gross."
Snickering, Wufei leaned up and back from his hunched forward crouch. "I realize that it sounds pretty rough, but it's actually a beautiful thing for two creatures, living and or Vampire who love each other, to bond on that level. You and your siblings wouldn't be here without it."
The boy muttered, "I guess. Just..." He shuddered, commenting under his breath, "It's still weird. To be honest, ever since you and Mom had to break the news about Santa and the Easter Bunny not being real, I figured the baby delivering stork was probably made up, too. But I almost miss the days of believing in that bird I tried to hunt down before Cai and Mao were born... especially knowing what I know now."
Unable to help himself, the scaly Infected's head fell back with an explosive round of laughter. Containing himself, he wiped a rare tear of mirth from his eye and snickered, "As much as I get that, believe me when I tell you that when you meet your Chosen, you'll feel differently. Everything you think you know by that time will change once the two of you meet."
Taking that sentiment in, Solo tilted his head in deep consideration. If anyone in the world could have appreciated the differences in themselves when they came to know their Chosen, it was his Dad. As one who had feared Vampires in his days as a human, he was existing proof that there was a tangible, and at the same time cosmic, thing involved when those tied to Infected met their soul mates.
Strange as the aspects of this new enlightenment were, the teenager could not deny that maybe one day that would all make a lot more sense for him. Nodding shallowly, he admitted, "I can exist with that. You've never steered me wrong." Chang chuckled deeply as he reached across to rub the top of his son's head of wavy, red hair.
Frowning, the youngster asked, "But what about gay beings? Things would have to work differently for them since they don't have the same..." At his search for the right word that wouldn't embarrass him, he waved his hands in the air to make vague gestures until he settled with, "stuff that heterosexuals have to do... *that* with."
Wufei leaned back with a deep breath as he replied, "Weeelll, we're about to get into that, since we've only just scratched the surface on this topic. Onto the second and third chapters." Raising an eyebrow, he suggested, "You might want to get a little comfortable since we're going to be here for a while."
Solo's blue-and-gold eyes widened again as his face was the portrait of terrified surprise.
* * * * * *
Broderick finished sorting away another bit of information that he had gathered through the resources that he had made over the course of his trips to make Trowa Barton's folder a bit thicker than it had been when his day started. Apparently, the Latin Original was a part of the first mortal killings by a Vampire when his kind attacked the doctors who had begun the process of 'purging' their creations.
Against a hoard of blood suckers, those olden day scientists and their aids were no match for the monsters had once been the living patients that they had attempted to cure of their tuberculosis. Only a few Infected were successfully pushed out into the sun to be fried up in their early developments of being when those in line managed to free themselves and attacked.
Throughout the world, there were other such instances as the risky procedure had spread rampant. Those hundreds of cases would become thousands to hundreds of thousands and millions once the resulting freaks of nature had set themselves loose upon the world. The demons of all mankind set upon the livings to remain a constant threat throughout existence from that point on.
Just as he was about to set his research away for the day, Dawson turned back to his computer at the sound of a bright ring announcing the arrival of a new email. Humming to himself as he opened the message, his eyes grew when he read the subject that had been highlighted and typed in all caps to emphasize its warning: 'FOR YOUR EYES ONLY.'
Quickly clicking on the attachment, he gawked at the list of names that had been long buried in the ancient history of the Vampires' origins...
...the list of names belonging to the patients that had been brought in as experiments in central Europe and England.
His hand tightening on his mouse, the Hunter scrolled through the data until he came upon the catalog where Barton's name was one of the top names displayed. Only a couple of entries down, he found Heero Yuy. Already aware that the 'cousins' had met at the time of their turning, none of this came as a shock. However, it was much further down the list where the real shock came into play.
Clustered together were a series of identities that Broderick had never dreamed of seeing. Treize Khushrenada. Zechs Milliardo Merquise. Relena Merquise. Lucrezia Noin. Lady Redii Anne Une.
Falling back into a heavy lean against the back of his chair, Broderick stared in disbelief at his monitor. It had been a well-hidden secret of the ages, this connection between the influential family of the Vampire Council and the Yuy-Barton Clan.
It more than explained how Septum's targets had managed to elude the registration for so long. Having friends in such high places would give them the advantage of knowing inspections and random roll calls that they could then easily avoid. More than that, this could potentially bring both advantage and concern for whenever the Hunters managed to claim the Hybrid.
But before he was going to allow himself to be too excited by this news, Dawson wanted to have more solid proof that there was more to this than a coincidental brush with the Vampires being in the same vicinity of each other at the time of their turnings.
Mentally shifting his attention onto the Khushrenada-Merquise Clan, he prepared to look through publicly documented pasts for any other evidence that they had 'friends' in common.
Closing out the list on his screen, the Hunter cracked his knuckles and typed in a whirl to begin his new search.
* * * * * *
Duo sighed deeply as he leaned back in his favorite recliner. Focused on the mantle at the opposite side of the living room, he studied the framed picture of his long-gone brother.
The small grin on his blonde twin's face was one of hidden pain and profound sorrow that was all too telling of the misery he had existed in for his entire existence before he managed to free himself.
"You never really had a chance, did you?" the braided Companion murmured to the face so much like his own. Hard as it was to have a constant reminder of the other Hybrid, Maxwell couldn't imagine completely wiping his existence away because of the things that he had done. Hell, even his own family understood and supported him for wanting to somehow honor Solo...
Wufei was the one to dig through Instructor H's records for hours until he came across the image where there was at least a grin on his face... a glimpse into who he may have been were it not for the endless tests and experiments that he only knew his existence to be.
Anna was the one to insist that one of their children share his name so that he would carry on in some way.
Midi arranged for a private service that Trowa officiated at to offer some kind words for the fallen Hybrid when the lot gathered around a plaque that Heero had carved out to serve as a place to honor as his would-be-brother-in-law's resting place behind their homes.
Between all of them, countless tears had been shed by the band of Vampires when they had learned of his terrible upbringing and his death. Such was their way, to respect and love anyone bound to them... regardless of the acts committed against them and their kind. Just another reason why Duo would gladly lay down his own existence for any one of them if he had to.
"Penny for your thoughts," a familiar voice spoke thorough his distracted mind. All but jumping from his seat, the Companion spun his braided head around to take in his smirking Chosen leaning in the doorway. "Sorry. I did not mean to startle you," Heero offered as he pushed himself upright and closed the distance between them to crouch in front of his lover.
Sighing into the kiss that was pressed against his lips, Maxwell smiled when they pulled apart. "It's alright," he said with a shrug. "Not too often you get to take me by surprise like that."
A glance back over his shoulder was all that Yuy needed to realize what had captured his Other's attention. "Hard to believe that it's been over a couple of decades already," he mused softly, a deep frown spreading across his face. Lightly resting a hand on the Hybrid's leg, he squeezed it as he peered back at him, asking, "Are you sure you're okay?"
To answer, Duo climbed to his feet and pulled his Infected into the chair behind him so that he could sink back down into his lap. "I'm already better," he grinned widely. Chuckling, Heero held his partner securely against him. Slowly lowering the side of his head on a cool shoulder, the Companion centered back on his brother's image and inquired, "Do you think that he's in a better place?"
Pausing for a moment before he answered, the Original inhaled deeply. Finally, he responded, "I think... that if anyone ever deserved to find some kind of peace in this existence or whatever waits for us beyond it, Solo should have been shown such a kindness after everything he had been through. So I firmly hope that he is well and happy wherever he is, just as I know the rest of our family wishes it for him."
His violet-and-silver eyes stinging with tears, Maxwell bit his lip and buried his face in the crook of Heero's neck. It was just what he needed to hear... what he needed to believe for himself.
Somehow, the brother that he had so briefly known must have been safe and happy.
* * * * * *
Flashback
The whole world was black for what had felt like an eternity. Of course it was. He was dead.
But then... did all dead creatures have the ability to realize such a thing? Were they able to hear the ocean that was slowly but surely filling his ears or the subtle sniffling that came from the other direction? ...Someone was crying?
With a sharp gasp, Solo's violet-and-silver eyes snapped open as he shot himself upright from where he had been laying on a sandy beach. A hand shot up to shield off the blinding sunlight that was pelting down on him while his eyes winced to adjust to the brightness enough so that he could take in his surroundings.
It took a lot on the Hybrid's part to recognize the cratered shoreline as belonging to the remote island that he had taken as his private base. The tall, jagged and foreboding cliffs that once flanked the piece of land had been all but completely leveled to a pile of rubble and dust. Only a couple of ridges remained intack on the complete opposite coast to look more like tall, haggard towers that stubbornly continued to stand guard.
And curled up in a tight ball only a few feet away from the stunned immortal was the cause of the massive blast that had resulted in the incredible destruction. Slight in frame, Celeste raised her read to reveal the redness around her shimmering, brown eyes.
Gone was the haunted, crazed look of a Wild that she had carried with her up until that last explosion that her power gave off. As her long, brown hair drifted on a sudden breeze, the deep bite mark in the side of her neck was revealed.
Solo's last act before he had lost consciousness in taking the brunt of the force of the blast when he took her into the ocean. It was not a guarantee that he would be able to free her of his influence, but apparently it worked. Haphazard as she was between her mangled locks and tattered sundress, the Other was still as lovely as she had been before the death of her Vampire that had turned her mad.
Mentally shaken in his alertness, the Hybrid lowered his hand to gawk at the living. The tears in her eyes drying, Celeste swallowed roughly and acknowledged quietly, "You're still with me." Shaking her head, she managed, "I couldn't tell since you don't need to breathe. For the last few hours, I thought I was stranded here alone."
In little more than a breath, Solo heard himself all but whisper in a scratched voice, "Y-you saved me?"
Shrugging, the ragged beauty replied, "If by 'saving' you mean pulled you back to shore, then yes. Beyond that, I didn't know what to do for you." At that, she shivered and pulled her legs close to her chest. It did not go unnoticed that she wouldn't shift so much as an inch closer to the half-breed. "My job was behind the scenes at the lab before you attacked me to destroy the base where we lived, after all," came out in a half-growl.
That answered one of the questions that Solo had to how much she remembered. Clearly, her recollection was functional up to the time when he had made his desperate escape from the clutches of Instructor H and his fellow scientists. At that rate, she must have been able to bring back everything to the time that she had become a Wild.
And she still saved him. How many lives had he destroyed, not the least of which was her own? Was there any good in him that was worth rescuing at this point?
Drawing a deep breath, the Hybrid frowned deeply, "If you knew what was good for you and the rest of the world, you should have left me out there to die."
Celeste thought on that for a moment, chewing on the inside of her cheek. "That's what you would have done," she sighed. A frown marring her own face, she turned her head away and breathed, "Maybe that's the only difference between us."
Blinking in surprise at that, Solo watched her in silence. For the remainder of the day, the only sound between them was the roar of the waves rolling in.
End Flashback
* * * * * *
The whole world was black for what had felt like an eternity. Of course it was. Lucie had been in to visit him.
If his returning memory hadn't been enough of a reminder of that, the pain that set in long before he opened his eyes would have been enough to jar Solo back into reality.
Groaning deeply, his violet-and-silver eyes blinked open and winced once again at the blinding florescent lights pouring down on him. A hand reaching up to give him enough of a break to set his vision, he pushed himself up from the cool tile that he was sprawled across.
Naked and bleeding from dozens of superficial wounds that were already healing from the ghastly sight that they had been before he lost consciousness, the Hybrid pulled his legs close.
That little bitch of a Hunter not only had a wish to watch him writhe in agony, but had an especially keen taste to humiliate him as well. Hence the lack of any clothes on body that was all too thin.
But nothing that he had suffered meant a damned thing to Solo when he looked out to the cell across from him. Kneeling at the edge of her closest wall, Cecelia gave him a warm smile that was meant to encourage despite the revealing redness around her brown eyes. "Hey," she called softly.
"Hey," the half-breed replied in kind, a small grin tugging his lips.
Pressing her hand flatly against the glass that was holding her back, his Companion asked, "Still with me? They didn't...?" She swallowed hard, unable to finish the rest of her question.
With a small nod, Solo reassured, "Still here. It's going to take a hell of a lot more than that for them to break me, you know that."
Celeste's smile returned, dampened by the sadness that had been a part of it since their capture. Releasing a shaking breath, she murmured, "I love you."
Heavily leaning his side against his glass wall, the Hybrid wished more than anything in his entire existence that he could hold her for even a fleeting moment.
Instead, he had to settle for taking in every time they had been locked in an intense embrace over the course of their becoming friends, lovers and soul mates whilst they'd had their freedom. Those were the thoughts that kept him sane and wanting to survive.
Septum and his followers could do their worst and he wouldn't lose who he was... the person that she knew he was while all others might never see that side of him.
Biting his lip, Solo whispered sincerely, "Love you, too."
* * * * * *
Hours later...
Wufei sighed heavily in relief when he and Solo reemerged after their long talk. "Nice chat, son," the scaly Infected smirked as he slapped the teenager's back. Letting out a huff of a laugh, the redhead shook his head as the weariness from the overload of information he had received melted into an amused smile for his father.
Together they stepped out to the enclosed back patio where Anna had been waiting patiently for their return. Coming to her feet, she grinned nervously, "Hello, my hearts." Approaching her boy, she wrapped him up in a firm hug and pulled his head down onto her shoulder so she could kiss the side of his neck. "I hope that you weren't too scared by what you had to learn today."
She was taken aback when the teenager held onto her all the tighter that carried with it a sense of urgency. Before she could ask what the gesture was about, Solo pulled back enough to smile up at her, "Nah. It wasn't that bad. It was weird, but it could have been worse."
Clearing his throat, he chewed on the inside of his cheek for a second, he breathed, "But.. now that I know what you had to go through to have me and the others... I..." He changed his scattered words to just simply breathe, "Thank you, Mom. I love you."
Wide-eyed, the Siren blinked at the thick welling of tears that filled her vision. Resting their foreheads together as she placed her hands on his tall shoulders, she smiled with a whispered, "I love you to the end of space and back, Solo. You and your siblings have been more than worth every hurdle along the way."
Just managing to keep his own emotions in check to fight off the sting in his own eyes, the boy cleared his throat once more and grinned widely, "Even when we've been pains now and then?"
Giggling, his mother nodded, "Even then. It's all part of parenting and growing up." At that, she pressed and held a kiss to his forehead, rubbing his arms. "Mind helping us wrangle up your younger brothers and sisters to get them ready for their baths and bed?" she requested as she took a step back.
"No problem. I'm on it," Solo announced, raising a hand in a smart salute. Turning on his heels, he headed for the doorway where his father was propped against the framework with his scaly arms crossed against his chest and a proud smirk on his face. Their fists raising to bump between them as the teenager walked by, Chang chuckled as his free hand rubbed the top of his son's head.
Anna wiped away a string of droplets from her cheek. "Those little wrist biters sure have a way of killing us when they want," she snickered brokenly. Humming an affirmative, Wufei moved in to wrap her up in a loving embrace and kissed her soundly. He was rewarded for his day's task with a fast bite to the neck that made him shudder from the pleasure coursing its way through every essence of his being.
"Nice work, Dad," the redheaded Infected praised softly once she came back up, reddened fangs sinking behind her grinning lips.
Smiling, the scaly Vampire replied in kind, "Thanks, Mom." When they leaned back enough to lock their gold-ringed eyes together, he groaned, "There is one slight frustration that I have right about now."
Her head tilting, his wife silently pressed him on to smile sheepishly, "Normally, you know how much I love to ravish you when we have the night to ourselves... but after having to break down the mechanics of that for the last few hours to our almost pubescent son, I have to admit that I have a hard time getting excited for that right at the moment. That talk is getting to be more and more complicated as time goes on."
Laughing, Anna reassured, "No worries, love. I completely understand." She shrugged, "You know me. If I have to take care of myself, I'm perfectly capable of handling that."
Wufei's onyx-and-gold eyes grew at that, his back turning rigid. "Damn it," he hissed, slapping a hand to his forehead as he stared up at the ceiling. "I just remembered another chapter of the Big Talk that I still have to bring up with Solo."
The Siren's own head fell back with the roar of her laughter.
TBC...
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